Safety-stirrup.



S. A. HALL.

SAFETY STIBRUP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1908.

Patented Oct. 27,1908.

' wardly SILAS A. HALL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SAFETY-STIRRUP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2'7, 1908.

Application filed June 26, 1908. Serial No. 440,541.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SILAs A. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful In1- provements in Safety-Stirrups, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in stirrups, the object of the invention being to provide a stirrup which is normally held closed when the foot of the operator is fitted therein and bearing with normal pressure against the base of the stirrup, and which will automatically open to release the foot when such pressure is removed, as when the foot is displaced from its normal position by the unseating of the rider from the saddle, thus providing a simple and secure means to prevent the foot from hanging in the stirrup and the rider from being dragged when thrown by a runaway animal.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which z- Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a stirrup embodying my invention, showing the bottom bar as normally looked to hold the stirrup closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the bottom bar of the stirrup as locked in use for release when the pressure of the foot is removed therefrom. Fig. 3 is a view showing the stirrup opened to release the foot.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals 1 and 2 designate the side bars or members of the stirrup, which are preferably curved, as

shown, and are formed independently of each.

other and pivotally connected attheir upper ends, as by a bolt or rivet 3. One of the sec tions is provided with a head extension 4 forming a 100 to receive the hanger strap. Surrounding t 1e bolt 3 between the side bars or sections 1 and 2 is a coiled spring 5, whose arms 6 are secured to the respective side bars below the bolt, the pressure of said spring tending to force the bars apart and open the stirrup.

The bottom bar or foot rest portion of the 'stirrup comprises a bar or plate 7 pivotally connected at one end, as by a bolt or rivet 8, to the lower end of the section 2, and adapted to rest at its opposite or free end upon an inprojecting keeper lug 9 formed upon the lower end of the member 1, in which lug is a vertical opening 10. A latch 11, formed of a spring plate, extends longitudinally over the upper surface of the bottom bar 7 and is secured at one end, as by rivets or other suitable fastenings 12, to the pivoted end of said bottom bar and is provided at its opposite or free end with a locking pin or stud 13 movable in an opening 14 in the free end of the bottom bar and adapted to enter the opening 10 in the keeper to secure the stirrup in closed condition when in use against the pressure of the spring 6.

In order to normally hold the bar 7 locked and to maintain the stirrup closed, a Ushaped locking dog or member 15 is provided and is formed with a collar or sleeve 16 loosely mounted on a pivot pin or bolt 17 fixed at its upper end in said bar and at its lower end in the bottom wall of a hood or casing 18 in which said dog is inclosed. The locking end of the dog is adapted to project from below upwardly into the keeper opening 10, and in order to maintain the dog in looking position, as well as to throw it out of alinement with the opening when said dog is depressed or retracted, a coil spring 19 is employed which surrounds the pin 17 below the collar 16 and is fixed at its lower end to the casing and at its upper end to said collar. This spring tends to slide the collar upward and thus elevate or project the dog, and at the same time to swing the dog laterally out of alinement with the keeper opening. The casing 18 sufficiently closes the dog and cooperating parts i to prevent injury thereto, being open only at its outer end to permit adjustment of said dog to locking position at retraction, which may be accomplished by the introduction of any suitable type of tool.

Fig. 1 shows the position of the parts when the stirrup is locked in closed position by the dog and before the insertion of the foot of the operator therein. When the foot of the operator is inserted in the stirrup, the spring plate 11 is depressed, thus forcing the looking pin 13 down through the opening 14 and into the opening 10, and thereby depressing and forcing the locking dog out of engagement with said opening, the pin 13 serving as a substitute locking means for fastening the free ends of the bars 7 to the bar 1 and holding the stirrup in closed condition. When thus depressed by the pin 13 the dog, being no l longer restrained from lateral movement, is

swung out of alinement with the opening 10 by the spring. If the rider should be thrown and the direct pressure of the foot removed from the spring 11, the pin 13 will be projected upward by said spring, thus disengaging; the bar 7 from the bar 1, and permitting the spring 5 to force the bars 1 and 2 apart to open the stirrup for the release of the foot, as shown in Fig. 3. Assuming that the stirrup is in such an open condition when the rider desires to mount, it will be understood that the bar 7 will be swung upward to its normal position and the rod 15 turned back into alinement with and engaged with the opening 10 to close the stirrup, and that upon the entrance of the foot of the rider into the stirrup and depression of the spring 11 the pin 13 will maintain the parts in lOCjGQl position unless the rider is thrown or removes his foot from the stirrup, whereupon the stirrup will automatically open in an obvious manner.

It will thus be seen that my invention provides a stirrup which will prevent the foot of a rider thrown from the saddle from becoming entangled in the stirrup and causing the rider to be dragged by a runaway norse, and that the construction. described is effective for such purpose and adapts the stirrup to be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A stirrup comprising pivoted side members, spring means for normally spreading the same, a bottom member pivoted to one of said side members, a locking device for normally connecting said bottom member to the other side member, a second. locking de vice adapted to be thrown into action by pressure from the foot of the rider to retract the first-named locking device and maintain a locking engagement between the parts of the stirrup, and means for retracting said locking device upon the removal of the pressure therefrom.

2. A safety stirrup comprising an automatically opening frame, locking means for normally holding the frame closed, and auxiliary locking means for retracting the firstnamed locking means and maintaining the frame in closed condition, said auxiliary locking means being adapted to be thrown into action by the pressure of the foot of the rider and to be automatically retracted upon the removal of such pressure to permit the stirrup to open. 1 3. A stirrup comprising pivoted side memhere, means for spreading the same, a tread bar pivoted to one of said members, a locking device carried by said bar to engage the other pivoted member and hold the stirrup closed,

1 an auxlliary locking device carried by said 1 bar, and a spring member carrying the auX- iliary locking device and adapted to be depressed by the pressure of the foot to throw said auxiliary locking device into action and retract the first-named locking device and move it to an inoperative position, whereby l upon the removal of the pressure from said spring member the auxiliary locking device will be retracted. to permit the stirrup to open.

4. A safety stirrup comprising pivoted side members, a spring for automatically spreading the same, a tread bar pivoted to one of said members and provided with an opening therein, a keeper upon the other member adapted to register with said opening, a spring-actuated locking device upon l the underside of the spring bar adapted to I engage said keeper and upon depression bel low the same to be automaticallymoved to l an inoperative position by the spring, a l spring plate carried bythe tread bar, and an l auxiliary locking pin carried by said plate l and movable in the opening in said bar, said l auxiliary locking pin adapted to be forced 1 down into the keeper upon the depression of l the plate to retract said locking device and l to maintain locking engagement between the keeper and tread bar whereby upon the rei moval of pressure from said plate the pin will 1 be retracted and the side members permitted to automatically open.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SILAS A. HALL.

Vitnesses:

LESTER E. MERsHoN, WILLIAM GROUKE. 

